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Question

How can I prevent people from breaking into my house?

Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department

Expert Answer

Criminals don't want to work any harder than they have to. You want to make it as difficult as possible. You can keep lights on inside when you're not home, put lights outside your house, get a dog that barks, set up proximity alarms, and install cameras (even fake cameras with the blinking light will help deter criminals).

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Question

How do I prevent my car from being broken into?

Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department

Expert Answer

Don't leave anything valuable in your car where someone could see it. Even if it's not particularly valuable to you, it could be to a criminal. Also, always make sure your car is locked.

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Question

How can I make it clear that I have a home security system?

Saul Jaeger, MS
Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department
Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018.

Saul Jaeger, MS

Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department

Expert Answer

Make it visible to people on the outside of your home. Cameras today are relatively cheap. There are even wireless ones you can set up very quickly. That will instantly let people know that you're monitoring them.

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Question

How do I get thieves out of my house?

Community Answer

Get to safety and call the police. If/when you're able, escape your house and get to a neighbor's. Let the police handle removing the thieves.

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Question

I have a community garden where I pay for the plot to grow vegetables. Well just as my peppers were getting decent in size, someone came along and stole every one of them. How do I stop this person?

Community Answer

Install some security cameras that record outside, you'll be able to see who (or what) is making the vegetables disappear and possibly identifity them and get them in trouble. You might also get some spray or something else that doesn't hurt the veggies but will deter animals from getting them.

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